Star Trek: Chicks in Space
by authorgirl7698
Summary: 2296. The USS Rider and the Klingon ship Qapla' set out to explore the Beta Quadrant. Their mission: Find a new Qo'noS. It seems easy. Then the captain has a heart attack, and their ambassador breaks the Prime Directive... With all their careers at stake, Commander Aren Blake and Kadi of the House of Onnak must unite their crews to hide the truth from their governments.
1. Chapter 1

It was, Tauhira Iqbal thought as she sat in the shuttle, a very good thing that she would be going with the _Rider_.

Her eldest son, Mohammad, had recently been assigned to the _Searcher_, and she hadn't thought it would be a good idea to serve with him. So she'd volunteered for this, even knowing it was a three-year mission - she and her husband had been apart this long before, and anyway the ship wasn't going very _far_ into the Beta Quadrant, so she'd be able to go home on leave every few months in auto-pilot shuttles like this one.

This shuttle wasn't moving just now. She was stalled in space while the _Rider_'s computer told the captain she was there and the captain okayed her entry. The ship looked majestic from this vantage point, a single white spot against a vast field of black. The majesty couldn't quell - in fact magnified - her anticipation.

She already knew half a dozen people in the crew - which was also arriving like this, and would mostly be here by tomorrow - and some were friends. The captain, Tara Reed, was an old friend and neighbor; the kid genius of a linguist and code-breaker, Linnes Thompson, was a good friend if a new one; Shareen Abdel-Mohammed was a sweetheart of woman and they'd been trading meals for years; and she and Ayelet Grossman knew each other from med school, before Ayelet decided to retrain as an engineer. She wouldn't be lonely even if she made no effort to expand her social circle.

She thought she would make an effort, though. This was a very special ship, and the two hundred women who had likewise volunteered to be on it were a very special crew.

The _Rider_ wasn't the first ship of all women, nor even the second - it was the third currently in the Fleet. But it was the only one to be sent on a major exploratory mission. If they hadn't chosen Tara Reed to be their suggested captain, the politicians who'd proposed this would have been laughed out of the President's offices. As it was, no one was quite sure how seriously to take this whole endeavor, and the women who'd signed on were all risking their careers by doing so.

Except for Linnes.

That was because, strictly speaking, Linnes didn't have a career. She'd hacked into the Federation databases at the age of sixteen. She hadn't looked at anything, hadn't been stupid enough to, but had merely created an URGENT! TOP SECRET! memo to all the admirals saying, "Hiya!" and signed with her name. She'd been arrested within an hour, imprisoned within two, and enlisted before the day was out. She had become a very valuable asset to Starfleet, especially after she'd become one of the most Klingon-fluent humans in the Federation. She was determined to stay useful.

She and Tauhira had met while both in transit from Earth to the Federation embassy orbiting Qo'noS, where Linnes and the Captain had designed and built the ship together and Tauhira had learned the basics of Klingon physiology while the Klingon doctor to be serving aboard their counterpart ship learned about humans. The trip had been about four days, since they were only traveling at Warp 5. The pockets they went through to achieve the super-Warp made Linnes's stomach uneasy, so she had come to Tauhira to get treated. They had got to talking and discovered they were headed the same direction, so they'd spent most of the rest of the trip trading stories. Tauhira felt she knew Linnes well enough to call her a friend, and especially after two months spent with her on Qo'noS.

She adjusted her hijab nervously and waited for the _Rider_ to tell her she could land.

Her console beeped after a few minutes. "You are entering Shuttle Bay 4," the computer intoned, and the shuttle started moving again.

Tauhira punched in the code that would connect her to the Captain. "Dr. Tauhira Iqbal, reporting for duty," she said.

"Good to have you on board, Doctor. Proceed directly to Sickbay."

"Yes, Captain." As she closed the link and the shuttle pulled into the docking bay, Tauhira smiled. She had a sudden feeling this was a bad idea, and that always meant she was in for an adventure.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you nervous?" Tauhira asked, leaning against the plain plastic wall outside Sickbay.

Linnes laughed from across the hall. "What, me? You know me, Tau. Never." She grinned. "She's been space-worthy for nearly a month, you know that."

"But they're testing your work."

"Yes, I know. And it's perfect. So I'm not worried."

The doctor rolled her eyes. "I see. Well, aren't we the humblest girl in creation."

"You know perfectly well Captain Reed worked on her too, Tau. And I doubt you're questioning _her_ work."

"Oh, I don't know. Being around you might well inspire me." She walked in front of the Sickbay door, and it opened automatically with only the slightest clicking sound. "Did you design this place, too?"

Linnes, although she looked as though she dearly wished she could claim credit, shook her head. "Naw. That was Katzenburg. She's been trying to make it perfect 'cause I said I'd hack the mainframe and demote her if she didn't."

"_Lin_-nes!"

"All right, not really. But I would've if I'd needed to, you know that."

"Hmph." Tauhira went over to the wall that she knew held the medical equipment and said, "Tricorder." There was a buzzing sound and one materialized against the wall. She pulled it off and scanned Linnes. "Get yourself onto one of those beds, missy. We're doing your routine examination before two hundred other people show up and expect me to do theirs."

Being an uncharacteristically good sport, Linnes obeyed, sitting down on the nearest bed. "I think I'll have a word with Katzenburg 'bout these beds," she said. "They're hard as rock."

"Shut up and sit still," Tauhira said, but she smiled at Linnes when she said it, so it was okay. "This'll only take a minute."

"You having dinner with the captain tonight?"

"Yes, and you're not invited. Just me and Blake and the captain of the Klingon ship when it arrives."

"Is the captain going to be here soon?"

"Eventually," Tauhira said. "Why's there so much caffeine in your blood?"

"How do you think I stayed awake long enough to finish remodeling this ship?"

"Ah. I suppose that explains it. Well, you're good to go, Ensign. Give my regards to Katzenburg. She seems to have done a good job."

"I'll have to reroute that demotion, then," Linnes said.

Tauhira rolled her eyes. "Scat." When her friend was gone, she thought about the new ship, and the captain, and what she was going to wear to dinner. She fingered the blue cotton hijab she was wearing. "The green suit," she said aloud to the empty Sickbay. "Definitely."


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't long before her first patient came.

"'lo, Tauhira," the Captain wheezed. She coughed. "Don' feel quite well." She stumbled in and leaned heavily on Tauhira's desk. Tauhira was beside her in an instant, scanning her with a tricorder and frantically interpreting the readings.

"Oh no oh no oh no," she mumbled frantically. "Tara, has this happened before? Answer me, you've got to answer me, because this doesn't look good... Oh no oh no oh _Allah_..."

"I'm... no... yes... sorry..."

"Answer me!" Tauhira caught the Captain as she sagged off the desk to the floor, still wheezing. "No no no no, keep breathing, stay calm. I don't know what this is, you don't usually have heart attacks, but you'll be fine, I'll make you fine. Hypospray!" she demanded, and the computer gave her one, but she was too slow, and filling it with the right drug took time, which she didn't have, and Tara wasn't breathing...

"Why don't I have any _nurses_?" she muttered, but of course she knew: They weren't here yet, and they would be here soon, and Tara'd be dead at her _feet_. She pressed the hypo to Tara's neck and injected the sedative into her carotid, but Tara's breathing just wouldn't steady, was barely coming now, was gone...

She injected Tara with oxygen over and over, skipping the carotid in favor of the heart, which was dangerous, but if it kept Tara alive she didn't care...

Tara's heart was beating normally now, a blessing. Her breathing steadied.

Then Tauhira touched her, just on her wrist, to feel pulse, and it all went haywire again, and _there was no heartbeat_, and Tara wasn't breathing anymore.

She pressed the heel of her left hand into Tara's sternum, slammed her right hand over it, and began compressions, stopping every thirty to deliver breaths. Eventually - and the three minutes before were some of the most terrifying in Tauhira's life - the Captain's breathing returned in a series of shallow gasps.

Tauhira collapsed to the floor beside her friend and captain, covered in sweat. "Computer, beam Captain Tara Reed onto a bed in Sickbay."

When that was done and she had set half a dozen instruments watching her friend, she straightened her hijab and uniform and tried to think how she could get Tara to the party tonight. She needed to, because they needed to be there to meet the captain of the Klingon ship. And Tara'd had a heart attack.

She sat down at her desk and stared at the computer.

Tauhira accessed the Captain's med files. Tara'd turned thirty-seven just last month in excellent health, except for a few remaining complications from her son Charlie's birth. She remained, even with this attack, exceptionally healthy for a starship captain. She got sleep, unlike most of the others Tauhira had served under.

She'd had asthma as a kid, but it'd never led to anything like this. _Maybe the circumstances?_ She wished she knew what had driven Tara into her office. Whatever it was had probably saved her life.

She considered just waking Tara up. It would be dangerous, but Tara was the captain of a starship. She'd agree in an instant that it was the right thing to do. Still, it could kill her. Tauhira wasn't sure that, as a doctor, she could take that risk.

She had to weigh the evils present very carefully. The truth was, she didn't know how the Klingons would react to Tara having had a heart attack. They might - as she suspected - view it as weakness. But this lot were supposed to be progressives, were supposed to understand that humans weren't as... tough, she supposed... as Klingons.

She looked through the files on the Klingon ship that would be escorting them. It was called the Qapla', meaning victory. The captain was a woman called Kadi. She was supposedly very interested in humans, had even gone to Earth to study anthropology for two years when she was younger. That could make her sympathetic, but Tauhira couldn't be sure...

She punched Linnes's com code into the computer.

It took a few minutes, but Linnes answered. Her face appeared on the computer screen. She had dark circles under her eyes, and was wearing the black headband she used for all-nighters, but she smiled. "What is it, Tau?"

"We're on duty."

"Sorry," Linnes said, rolling her eyes, "Dr. Iqbal. How can I help you?"

"You can tell me a couple of things about Klingons." She knew her voice was trembling. She could see her hands shaking. "Lin, the Captain is... in a bad way."

Linnes frowned. "What's that mean? She dead or what?"

"No - _no!_ She's not dead. She's unconscious. She'll be fine, but she might not wake up in time for the party, that's all. What will, erm... Candy-"

"Kadi."

"-think of that?"

"Well... she knows humans, she ought to understand, but it is awfully disrespectful not to show up. Is there something actually wrong with the Captain? Was she injured?"

"I think it was an asthma attack."

"Lovely. Is the Captain really incapacitated? Because you could wake her in a couple of hours, have her at the party for another hour or so, and then have her claim exhaustion."

"She won't _need_ to claim exhaustion if I do that, Lin."

"Still, I think that's your best bet. Is she okay?"

"Okay enough to sit at a dinner party for an hour? Yes, probably, especially if I'm there. But it's not just that. She's meeting with Klingons so we can explore the Beta Quadrant together. We have to make a good first impression."

"I know that. I'm not stupid, Tau. I'm just trying to figure out if we have other options. I don't see any. I'm sorry. Really I am." She shrugged, and a few strands of wispy brown hair escaped her headband. "I'll reschedule your appointments with the crew so you don't do them while the captain's with you, 'kay?"

"You know I don't like you hacking the computers..."

"Yes. I know." She blew Tauhira a kiss. "I love you anyway. Don't let the Captain die. I'll help you when she wakes. How's 1500 hours sound?"

"Like you're worming your way into a party you don't belong in."

"Oh, I won't come in. I'll just listen. Please? Pretty please?" She clasped her hands and made puppy-dog eyes.

Tauhira sighed. "Fine. See you at three."

"Aren't you the one who keeps telling me we're in Starfleet and on duty? I'll see you at 1500 hours, Doctor." Linnes saluted and ended the transmission.

Tauhira laughed belatedly and went to go check on Tara. She was still breathing, and her heartbeat was steady.

Tauhira smiled in relief and went back to her desk to reread the Captain's med files.


	4. Chapter 4

Lin Thompson sat down at her computer and typed a message.

_Hello._

It relayed to the computer, which sent it on the same frequency as the message she was replying to. She waited. No answer. She hadn't really expected one, but she'd thought it worth trying. Ever since the message had come this morning, she'd wondered.

It'd been a very short message, and impossible for even her to decode, just a series of blips. There was no reference in the computer. She wasn't even sure it _was_ a message, but it'd come from a planet just outside the limits of the Klingon Empire - she'd pinpointed it - and they were here to explore after all, so no one ought to object to her starting a little early. She thought others'd probably picked it up, too. The signal'd been aimed randomly, and she couldn't imagine she was the only one. That dampened the excitement, but only a little. This was _weird_.

She sent the message again. Then she set up the computer so it'd notify her station if there was an answer.

It was 1443 hours, so she stood up reluctantly and locked her station. Eavesdropping on a dinner party didn't sound nearly as exciting when she faced the possibility of first contact with a new species.


	5. Chapter 5

The party went well enough, Tauhira thought. She and Linnes got the Captain up and running with a series of drugs that, though they weren't illegal, probably should have been. Tara didn't object and didn't ask what had happened. Tauhira got her into dress uniform and into her quarters, where Tara prepared all the food despite her condition, maximizing the number of people who could eat it (Tauhira - as a Muslim - could eat Tara's cooking, Tara - as a Jew - wavered as to whether she considered the reverse permitted, and neither could eat Blake's because she was a Catholic). There wasn't much you could prepare in two hours, but she did her best, hoping not to offend the Klingon captain too greatly. Linnes left discreetly at about 1600 hours so that Blake wouldn't see her, and Blake arrived an hour later with a bottle of non-mevushal wine Tara had to politely accept and whisper to Tauhira to serve only to Blake and Kadi.

Tauhira wasn't sure what she thought of Blake, who was tall and mostly quiet. She could tell by the look in Blake's eyes that the mistrust went both ways. Still, Tauhira told Blake to sit down and went into the kitchen to keep helping.

At 1730 hours precisely, Kadi of the House of Onnak arrived.

The first thing that struck all of them was her appearance. She was of average height, somewhere between Blake and Tauhira. She was darker-skinned than Blake, paler than Tara, about Tauhira's shade of brown. She had forehead ridges, but not overly pronounced ones. She wore armor over a plain gray uniform. When she smiled, she revealed a nice set of teeth, not much pointier than human ones.

"Hello," she said, in English. "I am Kadi of the House of Onnak. You are...?"

"I am Captain Tara Reed of the Federation Starship Rider," Tara said. She held out a hand. Kadi shook it. "This is my first officer, Commander Aren Blake, and our chief medical officer, Dr. Tauhira Iqbal."

"I am honored." The Klingon stepped up to one of the chairs. "May I sit?"

"Yes, of course. Please." Tara poured her a glass of Blake's wine, noting its origins to Kadi as she did so as a means of further thanks to Blake.

Kadi drank. "It is... not what I am used to, but excellent all the same."

Tara smiled. "Why don't you all sit down and drink a bit while I get the food?"

They did so, Tauhira trying to be inconspicuous as she drank only from her water glass.

"You do not drink wine, Doctor?" the Klingon asked.

She nodded and adjusted her hijab uncomfortably. "It's against my religion."

"Oh! You must be a Muslim. I lived among your people nearly a month when I was on Earth. Tell me, why do you wear your hijab here even though there are no males present?"

"It's - well, I wear it on the bridge and in Sickbay in case of emergencies, and in the transporter room likewise, but here it's mostly a habit. The Captain covers her hair all the time even though she doesn't have to, and I'm used to wearing it, so I figured if the Captain did it, why not me?"

"Your Captain - what is she?" Kadi asked, finishing her glass of wine and leaning back in her chair, which creaked. The chairs were real wood, vintage, and Tauhira cringed inwardly to see them so abused.

"She's Jewish. Did you spend time in Israel too?"

"Yes."

"That's where we're from. Well, she's originally from California, and moved to Israel later in life, but she's a citizen now."

"I was fascinated to learn of your battles there," Kadi said. "Many of both your peoples died well."

"Yes, but actually we're quite glad they're over," Blake said, setting down her wine glass.

Kadi nodded. "Yes, of course. My apologies. I did not mean to disrespect your dead."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence during which Tauhira went to the kitchen to help Tara.

"Hey," the Captain said. "Wanna carry out the pizza?"

"Sure. Not so sure about the Klingon captain, though. Lin said this one was supposed to like Earth food, but she also said they mostly like their food wriggling-"

"Quit worrying, Doctor, and take out this pizza." Tara cheerfully loaded a KoolTray (TM) onto her, and Tauhira went back to the table and set it down. She served Kadi and Blake, then herself and Tara.

"What is this?" Kadi asked.

"Pizza," Blake said as she took a bite out of her slice. "Try it, it's good."

Kadi took a slow bite out of a slice and chewed. "It is... interesting."

"Thanks," Tara said as she came to the table, smiling warmly at Kadi and setting the eggs down. "So. Kadi of the House of Onnak. I read through your files, and I'm impressed. Did you really pilot your ship for ten minutes by yourself once?"

"No, it was seven."

Tara's eyebrows flew up. "Still very impressive."

"And you, Captain, I have been reading about you."

"All good, I should hope."

"Certainly." There was very little about the smile that went with this that was reassuring.

The conversation turned to frivolities, like Tauhira's son's Kobayashi Maru and Blake's sister's promotion. Tauhira watched Tara the entire time, but her welcoming smile never faltered. By the time they reached dessert, she thought maybe the incident earlier had been a fluke.

"The food is really delicious, Captain," Blake said. "Did you make it all yourself?"

"Well, the good Doctor helped," Tara said, smiling. She turned to the Klingon captain. "Captain, may we speak officially?"

"Of course."

"Then I welcome you aboard as captain of the Klingon vessel _Qapla'_," she said, standing and thumping her chest in a Klingon salute.

Kadi saluted in the style of the old American military, hand to forehead. "May we work together well, captain of the Federation ship _Rider_."

"We will help you in our appointed task of searching the borders of your Empire for a planet to become the new Qo'noS."

"And we will help you in your never-ending quest for knowledge." Kadi bowed.

Tara bowed back. "It was excellent to meet you, Kadi of the House of Onnak."

"Likewise, Tara Reed."

With that, Kadi walked to the door. Tara escorted her to the door, and three steps out - the custom of the Jews - and then turned her back to go inside.

After a minute, Linnes entered the room. "Well," she said brightly. "That went well! Any dessert left?"

Tauhira rolled her eyes. "In the kitchen."

Blake looked affronted. "Who is that girl and what the hell is she doing in a Starfleet uniform? She hasn't got a badge!"

"Commander Blake, may I introduce Acting Ensign Linnes Thompson." Tara smiled wearily at both of them. "She helped design the ship and is our ambassador to the Klingons."

"And this gives her the right to barge into your rooms, Captain? She didn't even ring!"

"Yes, well, Linnes is somewhat... different... from other people. She doesn't really believe in asking. Don't eat the pizza, I'm saving it," she called in the direction of the kitchen.

"I didn't," Linnes said, coming out with a bowl of mousse in her hand and a smudge of chocolate on her nose. "This is really good, by the way."

"Yes, well. The captain didn't seem to share your appreciation."

Blake blinked, frowning.

"Kadi isn't fond of sweet things. Try dark chocolate next time. But if you ever invite me to dinner, make this!"

"Captain?" Blake ventured.

"Yes?"

"Permission to retire to my quarters, ma'am?"

"Granted."

Once Blake had left the room, Linnes made a face.

"Don't be petty, Lin," Tauhira said.

"She doesn't like me," Linnes said, pouting.

"And you're acting like a two-year-old, so no wonder."

"I am not! I'm being completely-" Her voice cut off mid-word as Tara collapsed onto the couch. "Captain?"

"I think I need a nap," the Captain said faintly.

"You do," Tauhira said. "Here, Lin, help me get her onto the couch properly, will you?"

Between them, Linnes and Tauhira managed to get her laid out in a reasonably comfortable position. "Captain, are you all right?" Linnes asked. "Is this another asthma attack?"

"No!" she said. She sounded confused. "No, I'm just... weak, I guess." She leaned back and closed her eyes. "Good thing Blake's gone. Wouldn' want her seeing me like this."

"Yes, well," Tauhira said. "You'll be back on track tomorrow. Blake'll never notice anything. Nor Kadi, for that matter."

"That's good." Her lips curled into a slight smile. "This is really undignified, isn't it?"

"I'm your doctor."

"And as your first officer was so kind to remind me," Linnes said, "I'm not really part of your crew."

Tara sighed. "I'm sorry, Linnes. Blake doesn't know you. She'll get used to you in time, I'm sure." She grimaced and tried to sit up. "I have to get out of my uniform."

Tauhira looked at Linnes pointedly. Linnes pouted, rolled her eyes, and finally stalked out of the room. Tauhira smiled after her. "She's a good kid, Tara."

"Yes, she is. Now help me out of this thing and into my nightgown."

Tauhira obliged, all the while wondering at the Captain's surprise earlier. _She doesn't think it's asthma either._


	6. Chapter 6

Linnes's computer was beeping like mad. "Turn it _off_," she ordered it, hands over her ears. The beeping stopped, leaving blessed silence in its wake. "Now what was all that fuss about?" she wondered aloud, and remembered her alarm. "Oh! Computer, did I receive a message?"

"Yes, Lin-nes," the _Rider_ said, its voice cool and perfectly even.

"Play it, then." She sat down on her bed, behind the screen that bisected her tiny room. The computer played a series of emphatic beeps. "Aargh!" she groaned. She slammed her fist against the screen. "Computer," she said impulsively, "how much English literature is in your databases?"

"Forty-nine thou-sand books, Lin-nes."

"Transmit it in radio signals, one word per second, until I receive another message from that source."

"Understood, Lin-nes."

She smiled to herself. "Ah, it's _lovely_ to be reckless, isn't it?"

"I do not understand, Lin-nes."

"Never mind." She flopped down on her bed. "Computer, wake me at 2300 hours, please."

"Yes, Lin-nes. I am re-min-ding you that the crew will be here in nine-teen ho-urs."

"Understood, Computer. Good night."

"Good night, Lin-nes." The lights shut off, and Linnes slept.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, guys. I'm grateful for all 69 of your views, but I'd like to hear what you think, too! :) Please review. Here's the first of many questions: What's the most annoying part of this so far, and how can I improve it?**


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